On My Bookish BS

Oh Rina Kent - I love you so much. Another chapter in the RinaVerse has been released and I am, again, smitten with men who Rina has written. Kiss the Villain , the first book in the Villains duet, was released on March 20th and I quickly devoured both the physical book and the audiobook and I have feelings. Also, I HIGHLY recommend the audio on this one. Talk about perfect casting from top to bottom this full cast recording is just A++. First of all, Gareth and Kayden are right up there in terms of fuckery with Killian and Glyn and I love that for all of us. Mercy me.  Secondly, I have a weakness for the student/teacher dynamic and I was utterly salivating over that part of their relationship. And the banter between the two of them? Catnip to me. Delicious.  Thirdly, I loved watching Gareth peel away the layers and show us who he really was. His backstory was so satisfying to me. Everything with Asher and Carson? The family drama? OH MY WORD INJECT IT INTO MY VEINS. And Kayde...

It's mid-March, the weather is getting warmer and I was ready for a book that started to feel a little more like spring ... training? Why not a delightful baseball romance like Scoring Position by C.L. Rose.  Ace and Lark are so delightfully sweet it makes sense that candy is such a big part of this book. He’s the rookie catcher for the Daytona Fury. He’s trying to finish his AA and is one class shy and the only elective that fits is Human Sexuality. She is a recently divorced aspiring sex therapist who loses her job which is allowing her to finish her degree. Student meet tutor. So yummy. I absolutely love these two together.  She's older, OH NO SHE'S IN HER 30s!! And still finding her way after supporting her husband in his career. He's younger, obviously an MLB rookie and trying to finish his degree to make good on a promise to his Gran. When they are paired up so she can help him with his last elective while he tries to balance school and his MLB schedule it's...

Forbidden Professor by Vivian Wood was a quick read with delicious tension, fun characters, good spice level, and I enjoyed the tension among the characters. A little taboo, a little sweet, a lot yummy. I love a good teacher x student romance and add to that the whole wild and crazy family tree drama and this story gets complex in new and creative ways that made me go oh, oh, I think I like that.  Eve is a delightful FMC who is both young and sweet but also strong in her convictions and I love watching her come in to her own and be exactly who she is meant to be. Carter is exactly what I look for in an MC - strong, sexy, smart and utterly gone for his lady.  Loved the story, loved the universe, love all the characters, it’s a delightful read all around! I read this as an ARC reader and I am so excited that this is now out there for everyone to read! Go get you a copy and enjoy! 

Everything about His Red Carnation by Cassandra Vega is the opposite of a slow burn and it is deliciously fun that way.  From the opening chapter you are swept away into a world where events are already unfolding, even if you can't see the machinations right off the bat. The President, the First Lady, and the First Daughter are attending a funeral on the First Daughters 18th birthday and she is, obviously, not so pleased about it. She catches sight of her new Secret Service contact and her body instantly responds. Turns out he's her dads best friend and former Navy Seal buddy. Sparks. Also, FUUUUUUUUUUUU. She immediately makes it her life goal to make this mans life a complicated hell. It's a beautiful things to watch unfold. AND THEN THINGS GET TWISTY. Not because they're hot for each other... but because stuff happens. Intrigue and violence and drama with a capital D  and it's not all about the relationship.  Being the daughter of the President comes with a lot o...

Another surprising ARC read for this spooky season! Whatever Whispers by Genna Black helped me get in to the seasonal mood with a dark, creepy and yet kind of sweet twisty romance.  Quinn is a college senior studying Forensic Psychology and a well established nanny in search of a job. Jack is a single dad and one of her professors. He also winds up her boss after a meet cute that would not have been out of place in a Meg Ryan/Tom Hanks movie in the 1990s.  It is probably the only truly wholesome thing that happens in this twisty turny story because wooooo DARK.  Things that you will get in this story? Secret societies. Stalking. Murder. Family drama. Ghosts, maybe?  Quinn and Jack are quite cute together despite all the stuff that goes on around them but they're still dark. Their darkness is the good kind of dark though. And it's a slow burn ... like a sexy Argentinian tango. They dance around each other and when the tension explodes it's so worth the wait.  I c...

So, know how I've been all like "Spicy!" when it comes to books up till now? Well this is where Kents books started to get ghost pepper hot for me. The Empire series is four interconnected, standalone novels that are all legit super spicy.  In Empire of Desire we get to watch as Gwendolyn Shaw struggles with her feelings for her dads best friend and business partner who is also like 17 years older than she is. When a tragic accident leaves her father in a coma, Nate and Gwen wind up in a marriage of convenience which is fun for neither of them until it super is. Once the spice starts it ratchets up to a boiling point.  Nate has big daddy energy and his relationship with Gwen is delightfully dirty in the best of ways. Who knew vanilla could be so kinky?  Empire of Sin brings us back to the boys from the RES and Knox Van Doren, foster brother of Teal Van Doren, big time lawyer, international playboy and all around bad ass. When he meets Anastasia mafia princess, on the run...

 Continuing our trip through the Rinaverse, lets talk about the awesomeness that is the Kingdom Duet.   Hello Jonathan King. Father of Aiden. Uncle of Eli. Total badass billionaire businessman and sex god. Was I expecting to lust after the dad as hard as on Aiden and Eli? Nope. Did I? FUCK YES.  Then meet Aurora. Half sister of Jonathans deceased wife, Alicia. She has been fascinated and terrified of Jonathan since she was a teenager, even younger, and now she is back in his orbit after having avoided the King family all together since her sisters passing.  It's giving enemies to lovers, forbidden lust, forced proximity, age gap, and five star heat.  Aurora is a very complicated character and I loved watching her grow and change through these two books.  Jonathan? He's got depth but he's just ... intense all the time. About everything. Everyone. All day. Like... as much as people talk about the younger Eli King, or Brandon and Landon King I am all in on Gra...

It's summer and I guess that means it's time for a good, naughty, summer time read, right? Well let me introduce you to Silver Foxed.  Kayla Grosse wrote a perfect naughty beach read for you if you're looking for an age gap, dads best friend, kinky novella with a plus sized female love interest.  Did I know that's what I was looking for? Absolutely not but ... it was what I was looking for.  She's at her parents beach house relaxing before her 30th birthday. He's sent there by his best friend and boss to take some time off so he doesn't burn out. The sparks fly. It's forbidden instalust. It's delicious and delightful. There's kink, there's role play, there's public sexy times.  It's sexy, it's cute, it should be popular to boot. Seriously, I enjoyed the whole book, it's a short, quick read. Perfect for a day at the, let's say lake? Or chilling in the comfort of the air conditioning. A solid 4.5 star read to get you primed ...